Unhealthy Obsession
by Lady of Gryphons and Dragons
Summary: Tom Riddle never had a true friend but he trusted her. At least, as much as he could allow himself to have confidence in another person. She knew he wasn't like the rest, but she was becoming obsessed. Asking Dumbledore to wipe her from the memories of all, she and her story were forgotten, until now. Hogwarts 1938-1945 not the usual TRxOC you think it is
1. Chapter 1

**oOo Secondhand Robes and Chocolate Frogs oOo**

Monisha's eyes lit up as she gazed upon Diagon Alley for the very first time in her life. She turned to face the man next to her with a wide grin. His long auburn hair and beard slightly shook as he chuckled in return.

"I really am a witch, aren't I?" The sparkle in her startling green eyes could have lit up the whole alley, if it had not been noon on a mid-August day.

"Without a doubt, you are a witch, Monisha."

"_Mo._" She reminded the man dressed in a brightly colored robe that reminded her very much of a peacock. She would not ever forget the day this man had given her the most wonderful news, news that had changed her entire world- forever.

. o O o .

"Good Evening." Said Dumbledore, dressed in the most peculiar of fashions, thought Francisco Vazquez. He shook his hand despite his odd appearance, and made a quizzical face.

"My name is Albus Dumbledore. I sent you a message concerning your daughter, Monisha Opal?"

Francisco stood, transfixed at the man, who became more curious each passing moment.

"Yes." He finally responded, his English tainted by a light Spanish accent. "Come in, please, sit down." Francisco said, finally deciding this man was no danger to himself, or his small family.

"_Papi_, who is it?" A young girl appeared rubbing her eye and pulling at her father's pants leg.

"Do not worry Belinda, go back to bed." He murmured soothingly as the girl groggily returned to her room.

"Belinda appears to be a sweet little girl." Dumbledore said stepping into the living area. He selected the chair he would hold his conversation in. Francisco looked at him suspiciously and followed suit, sinking slowly into a large red velvet chair.

"She takes after her mother, god rest her soul."

Dumbledore smiled politely and pressed onto the subject of his presence in Francisco's home.

"I am here to discuss your daughter's future."

"Ah, yes. You said she had been accepted into a school?" The Spanish man said suddenly remembering the message. "Why do you have interest in Monisha?"

"Before I answer that question-" Dumbledore looked at the man through piercing blue eyes, "- may_ I _question your relation to Monisha Opal? It has come to my attention she does not posses your surname."

Francisco Vazquez's face went through a range of emotions before settling on a gloomy expression. He gave a heavy sigh before giving his story.

"My late wife - Carmelita, desperately wanted a child. After many years of trying, we could not produce a child of our own. Seeing my wife so depressed, I had to do something. So, I turned against my own wishes, and adopted a baby girl." Francisco smiled briefly before returning to his sad expression.

"My wife was delighted, she finally had the daughter she always wanted. Carmelita thought her birth name was magnificent, and left it as it was." His lip began to quiver, and he paused for a moment before continuing. "But she was an odd child, I sense something in her, even at an early age." He paused his story of Monisha, and instead told Dumbledore how his wife had miraculously become pregnant, and soon after died in childbirth. Monisha was five years old when it had happened, and then Francisco recounted the day after the burial.

"I had taken Belinda and Monisha the following day to Carmelita's grave. As I kneeled on the ground with Belinda in my arms, Monisha stood next to me and cried silently. I watched her tears fall and turned away, unable to hold back my own. When I had decided it was time to leave, I turned back to Monisha, and where her tears had fallen, now grew small daisies, they had not been there before." Francisco narrowed his eyes. "_Tiene algo, _that girl. She is not right."

"Do you know anything about Monisha Opal's history," asked Dumbledore. "Anything about the girl's parents?"

Francisco shook his head. "No. Nothing."

"Very well then. Let me answer your earlier question. Yes, she has been accept into an extraordinary and exclusive school." His eyes twinkled. " The school's name is Hogwarts and her name has been on the list since the day she was born. Monisha shall spend her time at the school learning all we have to offer, and she may return home during breaks as she wishes. She will however, return every summer." Dumbledore rose from his seat and looked down the hallway. "And now, if you do not mind, I would very much like to meet Monisha."

Francisco waved his hand in the direction of the hallway. "Last door to the left. She may be asleep, she may be awake. I do not care very much what she does, so long as she does not disturb nor bother my precious Belinda." Dumbledore approached the bedroom, alone. He saw the light of a flickering candle leaking through the cracks of the door. He tapped lightly on the door before softly swinging it open.

The room did not reveal itself to belong to an eleven-year-old girl. It instead was small and rather bleak, with only a few pieces of furniture. A wardrobe, a bookshelf with books spilling off its edges, a bedside table flickering with candles of all shapes and sizes, and a bed.

On the floor, a girl lay, with a book wide open, revealing a beautifully drawn illustration of centaurs by a creek. The girl herself was alluring, slender, and small for her age, thick dark hair and olive skin. As soon as Dumbledore had opened the door, Monisha had jumped up onto the bed, and he was able to witnessed how advanced the young girl's magic was. The book she had been reading had shut itself, and slithered its way back onto the lowest shelf of the shelf. The book would have snuggled itself properly too, had Monisha not realized who her intruder was- or rather, who he was not.

"How do you do, Monisha?" Dumbledore said walking forward and holding out his hand. Monisha stood up, shook his hand, and gave a small courtesy.

"I am Professor Dumbledore." At this, Monisha's eyes widen for a moment and she spoke.

"Where do you teach? Have they got a library?" She asked trying to hide her enthusiasm. She was a bibliophile, if Dumbledore ever saw one.

"I work at Hogwarts, and have come to offer you a seat in this year's class of first-years."

"What kind of school is Hogwarts?" She asked, waiting for her answer so as to devise another question.

"It is a school for people with abilities much like your own. Hogwarts is a school of Witchcraft and Wizardry." He said awaiting Monisha's next question that was sure to come.

"Is that what I am? Is that what I can do?" Monisha murmured. Dumbledore did not answer these questions, for he knew she did not need them to be.

"And my dear Monisha, what is it that you can do?" He asked, wishing to know the extent of her conscious powers.

"I can... move things." She started slowly, "If I only think about it." She glanced at the book that was not completely in line on the shelf. "And... if I try really hard, I can change things. Stones to coins, buttons into bugs." She smirked at the last one. Dumbledore had seen only one other young wizard show so much control over there underage powers, to believe there were _two _in the same year.

' O o O '

"There is just enough money in there to purchase all your supplies." Dumboldore warned as he handed the small leather bag to Mo. "But, if you buy secondhand, I dare say you'll have some left over the spoil yourself with." He gave a sly smile to the young girl. "I will accompany you today, but do not be surprise if I slip away for a moment or so, I have some business to attend to after all." Mo nodded, and eagerly retrieved the letter she had stashed away in her small purse. For about the thousandth time she read the it.

**_HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY._**

_Headmaster: Armando Dippet_

Dear Ms. Opal,

It is our pleasure to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You will find enclosed a list of all the necessary books and equipment.

Term begins September 5. We await your owl no later than July 31.

Your Sincerely,

_Albus Dumbledore_

Deputy Headmaster

Monisha quickly flipped to the second page, this was the one that held her shopping list. She read this one too, in an absent voice mouthing each word, as if this insured it was not a concoction of her own imagination.

**_HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY._**

_UNIFORM_

_First-year students will require_

Three sets of plain **black** work robes

One plain pointed **black** hat for day wear

One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

One winter **black **cloak with silver fastenings

**_COURSE BOOKS_**

_All students should have a copy of each of the following_

The Book of Spells for Beginners: By Artemisia Lufkin

A History of Magic: By Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory: By Adalbert Waffling

A Beginners Guide to Transfiguration: By Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi: By Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions: By Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them: By Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection: By Quintin Trimble

**_OTHER EQUIPMENT_**

1 wand

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set of glass phials

1 telescope

1 set of brass scales

_Students may also bring an owl **OR** a cat **OR **a toad_

Mo was very interested in purchasing an owl, and therefore made a promise to herself, to purchase as much of her materials secondhand as she could. She read the names of the shops as she passed them. Gringotts awed her, and she could not help but stare longingly at Florean Forescue's Ice Cream Parlour. Her search soon came to an end as she finally came across a Secondhand robe shop.

She turned to inform Dumbledore she would be running off now, but as promised, he had momentarily disappeared. Not too worried about his disappearance, she stepped into the old dusty shop and was swiftly greeted by a kind elderly gentlemen.

"Good Afternoon! A first year we are, am I correct?"

Before Mo could respond, she was whisked away by an elderly man. She later exited the shop with three sets of work robes, all of slight varying size, and all just a tad large for her, but this was all just splendid for her. A winter cloak had eluded her though, and she feared she may have to buy one new.

Mo slid into a Junk Shop, that she wasn't to happy about being seen in. Even in this shop she was amazed, books with layers of dust and mismatching sizes, lopsided silver scales, rolls of parchment ripped and warn and hastily cleaned of previous scribbles. Cracked and scratch potion bottles and models of worlds unfamiliar to Mo.

She managed to find and purchase a dusty pointed hat and a pair of dragon gloves, though the left glove had a tear near the wrist. After pointing this out to the shop owner, she was able to haggle a greatly reduced price on a set of chipped glass phials. She left the store in a hurry, for both her and the shop owner were on short fuses by the time she had purchased all her goods.

Mo did not know how much time had pass since her arrival to Diagon Alley, nor if the wizard who had brought her here would be returning anytime soon. She was wandering about Obscurus Books, keeping close to old and obviously used books, when she came upon a rather old copy of _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_. As she grabbed for the book, so did another.

She looked up to find herself staring into the eyes of a boy, about her age. His hair was, jet black and his dark eyes felt natural on his face, a pale complexion she could never hope to achieve.

"Excuse me miss," He said in a smooth voice, "I am looking to purchase this book. Surely a girl of your beauty should not posses such old, unflattering materials."

Monisha blushed and stammered her response.

"I d-don't have very m-much money," she then mumbled something about wanting an owl.

"I see you have already met a fellow first year." A voice said behind Mo. The boy with dark eyes suddenly became stern and spoke through forced etiquette.

"Good afternoon, Professor Dumbledore."

"Good afternoon." He responded with a tip of his hat. "Allow me introduce you to one another. Tom, this is Monisha Opal, Monisha, this is Tom Riddle Jr." Tom scowled at the word Jr. He however turned back to Monisha with a dashing smile.

"My pleasure to make your acquaintance, Monisha." Mo blushed harder for some reason, and managed to squeak out "Call me Mo."

For the rest of the time spent in the shop, Tom assisted Mo with finding her books, glancing at Dumbledore every few minutes. However, what had intrigued Tom, was the fact that it had been Mo who remained with the battered copy of _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_. He had not been able to persuade her to hand it over. As they were haggling their prices of the books it was clear Tom had a much easier time smooth talking the store owner. Once prices had been set, and coins exchanged, Tom was relieve to find Dumbledore had vanished.

"What else do you need?" Mo asked as they left the shop with their texts in hand.

"All I need now is a wand." Tom replied, attempting to hide a smirk.

Mo wanted to say "Me too!" but felt it more appropriate that she did not.

"Will you be buying that second hand as well?"

"No, this is the one object, I can spare the money." He said without hesitation. The pair slipped into Ollivander's Wand Shop, and were welcomed by a young wizard with pale eyes and an odd smile.

"Hello! It seems we have a pair of great magical abilities, can you hear the wands humming? They sense greatness." He approached the boy with a measuring tape, and Tom flinched when he came too close for comfort. "I apologize," The misty eyed man bowed, "Ollivander is my name, as was my father's, his father's and father's before."

"Tom Riddle." Tom attempted to show respect by bowing.

"Monisha Opal." Mo followed suit by giving a courtesy.

He smiled softly and asked "Wand hand?" Tom held out his right arm and allowed himself to be measured. Ollivander eyed their muggle apparel, and began to explain the object that was the wand.

"Just recently, I have reinvented the wand. Every wand now has a core of a _powerful_-" Tom's eyes lit up at the word. "- magical substance. I use unicorn hairs, heartstrings of dragons, and phoenix tail feathers. Wand hand?" He turned to Mo and she held her left arm out as he continued his explanation.

"Just as no two magical creatures are alike, no two Ollivander wands are the same. And it is to be kept in mind, your magic is not at its prime with another wizard's wand." He was looking over Tom as he said this. "Right then!" Ollivander clasped his hands together. He climbed a few shelves and removed the first box from the wall.

"Mr. Riddle, try this one. Red Cedar, dragon heartstring. Ten inches. Nice and whippy." He handed him the wand. "Give it a wave." Before Tom could do a thing, Ollivander plucked the wand from his hand and muttered "No... no..."

"Douglas-Fir and unicorn hair. Eleven and three fourth inches. Springy." Tom had only just raised the wand before that one was taken from him as well. Tom resisted giving Ollivander a glare and patiently awaited another wand to be handed to him.

"Ah, yes." The man ran to the other side of the shop and bounced back to Tom, with another long slender package. Ollivander opened the lid to reveal the wand to him.

"Yew and a phoenix feather. Thirteen and a half inches." Tom took the wand, and a suddenly heat blasted through his bones. He lowered the wand and then swung it above his head, and a steam of green and silver, sparks and cracks danced from the end, showering their faces in spots of light. Tom allowed himself a smile, and thanked Ollivander.

"Excellent! Very good, and now for Ms. Opal." Mo's wand was a bit more of a challenge to find, though Tom stuck around all the same.

"Cypress, phoenix feather. Seven and a fourth inches. Supple." She had held it for a second before another one was thrusted into her hand. "Larch, dragon heartstring. Nine Inches. Flexible." Another one ripped out of her hands. "Hemlock. Unicorn hair. Eleven Inches."

"Tricky, tricky, tricky..." Ollivander pondered for a while, and then smiled. He walked to the wall just behind Mo, and pulled a blue box. He kept smiling as he removed the top. "She's singing." He whispered. "Ebony. Dragon heartstring core. Ten and a fourth inches. A wand excellent for transfiguration."

Mo took the beautiful black wand into her hand- a cozy feeling extended from the wand into her fingers, hand, arm and eventually her entire body. She twirled, as two streams of light- bronze and silver- encircled her and fell to the ground, like ribbons before disappearing. They both paid for their wands, and both were thankful they hand not left this item to be bought second hand.

"You want to buy an owl?" Tom asked as he entered Eeylops Owl Emporium.

"I hear they are dreadfully useful, it's how wizards and witches send mail, you know."

"I haven't got anyone to send mail to, an owl would only be a waste for myself." Tom said coolly. Mo lowered her eyes as she thought of what he had said. She didn't have any friends, wizard or muggle. But all the same, she wanted an owl.

"He looks like a handsome fellow." Tom said looking at a Dusky Barn Owl. Mo smiled glad Tom had found something amusing. They spent awhile looking at all the owls, big and small, of all different colors and designs. Tom eyed several hawk owls, while Mo drifted toward those with asymmetry.

Mo came out of the shop with a Sooty Owl, a medium black owl with silver white under parts and large black eyes. Tom particularly like her choice, this young male's whistle sounded like a screech, and he smile as people cover their ears.

"Well, all I have are a few sickles left." She said slightly shaking her little leather bag.

"Is that so? I reckon I still got some galleons, and plenty of sickles and knuts." He said bouncing his noisy bag, very similar to her own.

"How do you have so much left?" She questioned following the bag with her eyes.

"It seems you do not have much control over your financial activities." He smirked. He watched Mo run toward a flower cart, and gazed at the roses that glowed a variety of colors and flowers of fern repeatedly blooming and re-blossoming.

"You enjoy flowers?" Tom asked as her raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, yes. I adore them, they are the most lovely little things." Before Tom could comment, Mo had already run off to the ice cream parlour.

"Oh bother!" She said frowning.

"What is the problem?" Tom said coming up behind her "I don't think I have enough for a Ninety-nine."

"Here." Tom said tossing his bag to her. Her eyes widen.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely certain."

After discovering that the man did not know what a Ninety-nine was, she instead ordered a large ice cream, that was called Mystical Swap. It was a scoop of green peppermint ice cream in a chocolate dipped wafer cone. While pondering why it was named as such, Mo offered Tom a spoon. They were no more than a couple bites in, when Mo shrieked.

"What is _that_?" Mo said staring at something wriggling in her dessert.

"It appears to be a chocolate frog." Tom said with a wide grin on his face.

"Are you sure it's a chocolate frog?" She asked as said frog attempted to escape. Tom swiftly stabbed the frog with his spoon, effectively beheading it. He wolfed the piece down, and with a twinkle in his eye, he announced it was indeed chocolate. Mo had lost her appetite after Tom convinced her to nibble on the frogs leg. Soon after Tom polished off the icy treat, Dumbledore found the pair. The children said their good byes, and Mo followed Dumbledore to Leaky Cauldron and back to her muggle family.

She arrived home and took all her things to her room without saying a word to Francisco. She arranged all her belongings into a trunk she had brought, and was amazed by the expanding charm placed on it. After she had packed everything she cared to take with her, all she could to was begin her wait. Sitting down she opened one of her text books and began to read until she came across the name Salazar Slytherin.

"That sounds like a dignified name." She turned and smiled. "How about it? Sal, for short. Says here he's one of the founders of Hogwarts." Sal ruffled his feathers and gave a high pitch screech before tucking his head under his wing.

* * *

This was Beautiful Man, but I took it down and I am now reposting it.

Do not hesitate to give feed back or point out any inconsistencies.

Thank You for reading.

Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**`_/\_' Sorting Hat and Riddles '_/\_`**

"... And in 1936 the Hogwarts Express was built."

It seemed they would always be grouped up together, Mo thought as she sat quietly next to Tom. She looked out the window of the muggle bus. Sythia had come to collect the children that were of non-wizardry families. Mo examined the female witch, she had green eyes, fair skin and her hair was a bright yellow. Mo turned to face Tom, who was polishing off _The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection. _He looked focused, his eyes jumping lines, running through paragraphs, a slight furrow in between his brows, and his lips calmly sealed.

"Alright children, we have almost just arrived." Sythia said standing up and counting heads. The children began to gather themselves, Mo tapped Tom on his shoulder, and then stood up to retrieve his and her trunk. The group stepped onto the sidewalk, and the children wondered at the train station, some seeing it for the first time.

"Now children, we mustn't gawk." Sythia said as she glanced at the clock and then rushed them along.

"She can't be serious." Mo whispered to Tom as she held her ticket and stared at Sythia in disbelief.

"Right now, who would like to go first?" The blonde witch asked looking at the disbelieving children.

"May I ma'am?" Tom said stepping forward.

"Why of course Tom!" Synthia said in delight. "Now all you have to do is as I said, straight at the wall."

Tom walked very steadily toward the solid barrier. He ever so slightly increased his speed, Mo's heart raced the closer he got to the wall. Without blinking the children watched as Tom hit the wall, and a melt right through it. Mo was the next to volunteer. Though she was not as relaxed as Tom had been, she did not allow her fear to overwhelm her. As she approached the very solid mass, she closed her eyes and braced herself. As soon as she had hit the barrier without crashing, she opened her eyes to see a grand crimson steam engine. She gaped a it for a moment, before a familiar voice spoke.

"I knew you would be the next one through the barrier." Tom said staring at her.

"I just didn't want you to think you were the only one daring enough." She responded as nonchalant as she could.

"Well, shall we board the train _miss_?" Tom said as he pushed his cart toward the train. Mo followed, and right before they climbed aboard, Tom stopped her.

"This is for you." He said, and out of thin air, pulled a flower. Mo smiled as she took the small white plant.

"How did you know orange blossoms were my favorite?" She asked in wonder as she placed it in her hair.

"You _reek_ of oranges."

Without further delay they pulled there belongings onto the train, and with Tom leading, walked to the farthest compartment they could. Mo promptly entered the room and after examining it, she arranged her trunk and sat next to the window. She watched a man in a kilt hug a girl not much older than she was. The train began to move forward and the young witch gave her mother a fleeting hug, a young boy a kiss on the head and then ran on board. Mo was snapped back to her companion when he spoke.

"Which subject do you find most appealing?" Tom said as he cracked open _Magical Drafts and Potions._

"Oh, well..." Mo thought for a second and then spoke. "Charms sound fascinating, but Mr. Ollivander mentioned my wand was..."

"Excellent for transfiguration." Tom mocked Ollivander. Mo laughed and nodded.

"Yes, transfiguration. It was one of the first books I finished as a matter of fact."

"One of the first?" He questioned whilst turning a page.

"Oh yes, I'm just about finished with the books for this year." Tom did his best to appear only mildly impressed, but Mo felt a tiny surge of pride.

"And which books have you yet to read?"

"The one you were reading earlier, the Defense Against the Dark Arts one." After saying this, Mo rummaged through her trunk, pulled out her copy of the book, and flipped to the page she had marked, leaving the compartment silent, save the occasional noise from Sal.

"Tom?" Mo said sheepishly. She had finished reading some time ago, and was hoping Tom would have as well. She felt horrible disturbing him.

"Yes, Mo?" He responded without batting an eye or lifting his gaze.

"Do you think we'll fit in? I mean, we don't come from magical families and-"

"That is not true." Tom said finishing up the last paragraph of his book before closing it. He leaned forward gazed at Mo for a bit. Mo sat still, and suddenly felt as if something had bombarded her mind for a brief second. She felt light headed as Tom's voice took away the pain as quickly as it had appeared.

"You are like me." He said. "Neither of us know a thing about our real families, we could be a half-blood or pure-blooded witch and wizard." He leaned back against his seat and gazed out the window. "Witchcraft and Wizardry." Tom murmured. "If we can find out anything about our families, I am positive we will be able to find it at Hogwarts." He smirked. "Imagine, if we were not only from magical families, but descendants from the founders of Hogwarts!"

"Tom, I highly doubt that." Mo said, she smiled as she caught reflection of the flower in her hair. "But I suppose one could imagine."

"And Monisha," Mo turned back to Tom and watched him retire his book. "Do not worry about not being up to level with the rest." He grinned. "I do believe we are the only students who have read all of our texts before even arriving." Mo returned a bright smile.

"And now, I am going to change into my robes." Tom stood up and gathered his clothes. "I assume you will too?" Mo blushed profusely and before she could answer, Tom spoke. "I'll go change else where, I wouldn't dare impose on a lady." He smiled and went to leave the compartment.

"Tom!" Mo managed in a high pitched voice. He turned to look back at her. "Tom, I've never had a friend before." Mo broke eye contact with him. "I'm very glad to have met you."

"And I you." Tom was about to slide close the door when he paused to say one more thing. "I think we'll make excellent partners." As he shut the door and left Mo rushed to fine the best robes she had and hurried into them. She had just put them on when she caught her reflexion in the window.

"They look a bit faded..." She thought to herself. She pulled out her wand and bounced it in the palm of her hand. "Let's see, I think the Multicorfors charm might help with the color." She spoke to herself. She pointed her wand to one of the robes in her trunk and performed the charm. Delighted to see the color darken on her robes, she excitedly altered the color to all of her second hand clothes, including the ones she was wearing.

"I see I am not the only clever one here." Tom said as he entered the compartment. Mo looked up and blinked. Tom looked spectacular in his robes, not a fiber out of place, not were they anything but his proper size.

"Did you not buy second hand robes Tom?" She asked, now feeling jealous and not so clever as she felt the sleeves of her robe slide and cover far too much of her arms and hands.

"Let me mend your robes." Tom said whipping out his wand, eager to perform magic. "_Reducio._" He said as he pointed at several parts of her robes. She felt them shrink, and begin to take her proper shape.

"There," Tom said with an accomplished smile, "-now let me correct the other robes. That old wizard at the shop is far to lazy a man to properly tailor a robe."

As Tom finished altering her robes, a knock came on the door. A cheerful Sythia open the door and asked "Anything to eat young'uns?"

Mo hurried over to the trolley and began to search through all the bizarre snacks and goodies. "What can I get for a sickle?" She asked shyly.

Mo purchased a bag of jelly slugs and a small jar of bat's blood soup. She was a bit timid of the dark red syrup, but after being urged on my Tom, she dipped the slug into the soup and ate it. After she assured Tom it did not taste bad at all, he joined her in dipping and eating bloody slugs.

"I was a bit let down you know." Tom said after plucking the last slug up. "That I was not the only one to be able to perform magic spells already." He ate the slug and then looked at Mo. "You will be an excellent partner and rival indeed."

"I would hope that you don't expect me to go easy on you, just because we're friends." Mo responded, her competitive tone growing. "I'm a fast and eager learner."

"As am I." Tom chuckled, he stared out the window for a while before speaking again. "It's getting dark." He watched mountains and forests rest in the distance as the train sped by.

"Do you think we'll be there soon?" Mo asked watching the sun melt colors into the sky. As if on cue the train began to slow down. When the sun was no more than a thread of gold in the distance, a voice echoed loudly throughout the train: "We will be arriving at Hogwarts in ten minutes time. Leave your luggage on the train, it shall be taken to the school separately."

Mo felt butterflies flutter in her stomach as the voice became silent, but Tom -she saw- had a the biggest grin she had ever seen. The time slowly ticked by until finally the train came to a complete stop. The corridor's came to life with chatter and noise, as people pushed their way off the train. Mo whispered 'goodbye,' to Sal, before she followed closely behind Tom, who seemed not to be affected by the movements of the crowd. When they finally got off the train, Mo felt a cool breeze caress her face.

"Follow me! Anymore first years?" The man shouted as he neared the end of the train. The pair followed the man and their fellow first years, all huddled together with an air of fear and excitement surrounding them. They formed a sort of line as they followed him down a steep narrow path. Nobody spoke as they walked through the darkness following the bobbing lantern leading them.

"You'll soon see Hogwarts. Just a bit more, a grand sight it is." He said holding the lantern. Sounds of awe were made when the group found themselves on the edge of a sizable lake. Settled on a tall mountain on the other side of the water, was an enormous castle, with numerous towers and walls.

"Alright, no more than four in a boat! Come on, hurry up!"

Tom and Mo settled themselves into one of the boats, and were accompanied by a tall witch with bouncy blonde curls, and a boy with a small face, and pale skin.

"Everyone in? Sitting down? Good, right then- FORWARD!"

The small fleet of boats lurched forward, and slid across the black lake. Again, the children did not say a word, but watched as the castle came closer to them, until they were underneath the castle. They slipped and stumbled on to rocks and soon made there way up a path that deposited them onto a lawn right in the shadow of the castle. They walked up some stone steps before arriving in front of a colossal oak door. Without saying another word, the man that had been leading them raised his arm, and knocked loudly on the castle door.

The door swung open immediately, and a familiar wizard, with fading russet hair stood before them. He looked at all the children and smiled.

"I did my job, Professor Dumbledore." said the man.

"Thank you, Ogg. I shall take them from here." And so the group change hands as they were led by Professor Dumbledore into a small empty chamber. They huddled together, and became quiet still when Professor Dumbledore spoke.

"Welcome to Hogwarts." He said in a kind voice. "Soon you shall be filling you stomachs at the start-of-term banquet, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting ceremony is of vast importance, as you will be given a home and family within your houses. You will have classes with your house, sleep in the respected dormitory and perhaps even spend time in your house common room. Though I hope not too much, as Hogwarts has much to offer, and you only have seven years to discover the secrets held within these castle walls." He offered a chuckle, and this eased the group's tension.

"The houses are named after their founders- four in total. Each house has an honorable history, and each producing superb witches and wizards. While you are a Hogwarts achievements will earn your house points, while a disregard for the rules will loose them. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a grand honor indeed." Dumbledore eyed the students, his gaze lingering on Tom and Mo for a second longer than the other students. "Well, it seems I have wasted enough time. Now, form a line-"

There was few screams as attention was adverted from Dumbledore, and focused on the glowing white figures passing through the walls.

"Ah, yes. Ghosts are one of the wonders you will encounter at Hogwarts." He allowed the students to stare at the ghosts until the very last one passed.

"Now as I was saying, quickly now, form a line," He prompted the students, "-and follow me." Mo's heart suddenly began to race as they walked out of the chamber, across the hall, and finally into the Great Hall. She could not believe the enormity or splendor of the place, though she had read all about it. Mo felt the magic in the air, and could not help but smile wildly at everything she saw. Keeping close to Tom, at times clinging to his robes, she watched as they were led to the top of the hall where they were displayed to the returning students. Mo and Tom turned to watch Dumbledore conjure up a stool, and perch a pointed old wizards hat. The hat was absolutely ancient, and looked like it had been kicked around by a couple of centaurs. For a few moments, the entire hall went completely silent, and all eyes were on the dirty hat. Then the hat quivered, and then it began to sing in a low and dark voice.

"All those many years ago, when I was not but pristine,

Four wizards built a school, the likes of which before never seen.

And in this castle dwelled the founders four,

Of whom I shall gladly tell you more.

When these friends searched for those to teach,

A quarrel, of sorts came to light,

A riddle of whom their lessons would reach,

And sparks began to materialize,

"Those of purest-blood, and crafty wit."

Chose Slytherin, who of the rest did not care.

"No! Those of bravery! Ones who never quit!"

Said Gryffindor, these qualities he deemed fair.

"Take those who want nothing but to learn."

Chimed Ravenclaw not the least meek,

"_Magic_ should be the only quality we seek"

Hufflepuff spoke, not any less stern.

They chose their flocks,

And taught the students well,

'Til one thought as he walked,

What will become of sorting, upon our farewell?

Off his head I was taken from to be,

Filled and stuffed with magic to the brim,

So my work there on, I'll say with much glee,

Has been to sort, though now I be not so prim,

It is I who see, all that be in your head,

Be not afraid of who you are,

For I have heard it said,

All of you are no less than par.

Climb up, sit down.

Have no worry, nor care,

For I shall be but a brief crown,

My voice shall whisper through your hair.

Your house shall be known,

I shall guide you to where you belong,

You shall find your friends, be not alone.

And that is the end of my song."

The entire hall came to life once again, applause and cheers thundered and frighten the first years. Professor Dumbledore now stepped forward, holding a long piece of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will try on the hat, and sit on the stool to be sorted." He said. "Abbott, John."

A boy went red as he was the first to be called. He lost his footing on the way to the stool, causing his blush to reach his blonde hair. The hat hardly took but a moment before it shouted-

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

A cheer came from the table to the right as the boy trotted toward it.

"Avery, Donald."

"SLYTHERIN!" The hat shouted, and Avery smirked as he was the first to be sorted into Slytherin.

"Bones, Charles." however, joined John at the Hufflepuff table. A Damocles Belby was the first to be sent off the Ravenclaw, and Gabrielle Bloodwell went to Slytherin. Next there were twin boys, Leonard and Ralph Corner, both sorted into "RAVENCLAW!" It wasn't until "Faucher, James" a boy with wavy black hair was called, that Gryffindor received it's first member. Both "Lestrange, Stephen" was sorted into Slytherin. A tubby boy named Joseph Longbottom missed the stool completely after jamming the sorting hat over his eyes and sitting down. He ran to Gryffindor as soon as the hat declared it his house. " Mulciber, Richard " was called, and he was yet another to be sent off to Slytherin. Suddenly Mo's own name was called.

"Opal, Monisha!"

She had not expected her name to be called, but Mo stepped forward as bravely as she could, sat in the stool and allowed the hat to be plopped onto her head. The hat did not announce her house immediately, she heard it sigh and say

"Ah, yes... plenty of wit, and intelligence, and I do sense a talent of creativity... and yet there is something in your heart... cunning, ambition... Who do you want to prove yourself too?" The hat murmured in her ear. "Your wisdom prevails, of course this means you are... RAVENCLAW!" The hat finally shouted. Mo felt a bit dizzy as the hat was pulled off her head, and she clumsily made her way to the applauding crowd of Ravenclaw. She shook one or two hands before taking her place next to the twins.

Mo took her seat next to the blonde witch who she had sat next to on the small boat. She eagerly waited to see which house Tom would end up in and ultimately for the ceremony to end. "Ollivander, Genevieve" was the girl sorted after her, and she joined the Ravenclaw crowd An unusually tall, thin and bony girl was called up, and Augusta Perks soon became a part of the Gryffindor table.

"Riddle, Tom!" A few giggles broke among the crowd, but were soon silence when the hat cried "SLYTHERIN!" Mo's heart sank as she watched her friend walk smoothly toward the table, and sit next to the Mulciber and Avery boys.

Mo discovered that the boy who had sat in her boat was named Paul Rosier, and he came to sit next to her after he had been sorted. After a William Sargent was sorted into Gryffindor. The ceremony ended with a tall, gangly boy named Howard Weasely running off to join the crowd of roaring Gryfindors. Professor Dumbledore rolled up the scroll, and took the stool away. Suddenly the focal point of the room became the center of the High Table. A man with milky hair stood up from his large golden throne. It seemed the man gazed into as many student's eyes as he could before he finally spoke.

"I'd like to welcome you to Hogwarts!" His voiced boomed. "Welcome to another year, welcome first years, and welcome back to everyone else! And now, without any further delay, let the feast begin!"

Everyone clapped and cheered as he sat down, and Mo's head swiveled trying to find the servers. Then her head was filled with the most wonderful smells and her mouth couldn't help but water. She had never seen such an array of food, both familiar and strange. She took small portions of everything, until she could fill her plate no more, and then dug in, first with the foods most familiar to her. At first she simply ate, and did not participate in the conversations around her. Though she had read all her books, and knew a great deal about the magic she would be learning, she still knew very little about modern events and activities. She heard the elder boys talk excitedly about a newly released broomstick- the Comet 180. She also overheard girls speak of an event very familiar to her, as it concerned the war that seemed inevitable in the muggle war. She listened to them speak about the Nazi party and how the Ministry of magic will handle the wizards found to be involved in the war. Mo also overheard a conversation held by her fellow first years about the introduction of collectible cards into the Chocolate Frog candies.

Mo would frequently crane her neck to look past the Hufflepuff table, and always to see Tom quietly eating or speaking less animated than his other classmates. After she decided she had had enough to eat, she pushed her plate back, and again listened to the conversation about her.

"Well, I'm a pure-blood. My parents are a witch and wizard." Rosier said proudly.

"Both my parents are magic as well." Imogene Lovegood added.

"We're half and half." Ralph said stuffing his last spoon of mashed potatoes in his mouth. Leonard continued the story for his brother "Our mum's a muggle-"

"But our dad's a wizard."

"He told her after she agreed to marry him-"

"Said it didn't surprise her at all."

"Though she threw a fit convincing our father to be enroll us into muggle school."

"He finally gave in."

"He was very pleased when we did our first bit of magic."

"Almost gave our math teacher a heart attack though."

"He had no clue how to explain the disappearance of his slacks."

The others laughed, and as they were settling down, dessert replaced the dinner that had been laid before them. Globs of ice cream were mounted for the student to grab, creamy chunks of nougat, fat honey colored toffees, and various types of chocolates laid before them. Mo helped herself to a cauldron cake, she took a bite of it as the conversation turned to her.

"What about you, Monisha?" Rosier asked. She struggled to swallow a rather large chunk of cake before speaking.

"First off, call me Mo." She insisted, and once all the attention was on her, she tried to avoid eye contact as she feebly answered "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Rosier sneered.

"I mean, I don't know who or what my parents were." Mo snipped back. "I was adopted into a muggle family, so I might as well be muggle-born."

"Well, it doesn't matter now does it? We're all here at Hogwarts and that's all that matters." said Imogene.

They all nodded wisely in agreement, and their conversation moved on toward there studies.

"What?" cried Rosier.

"You mean-"

"To say-"

"You've already read-"

"Every page-"

"Of every book-"

"For our entire year?" The twins ended in unison and astonishment.

"Well, your bound to be the brightest one in our year." Imogene said a bit discourage.

"Well, actually my friend has also finished reading all the books as well." She said shyly glancing at toward Slytherin table. The first year Ravenclaws however looked at each other, probing and trying to guess who the other student was. They became even more wide eyed when they discovered it was not a fellow house member.

"That boy with the odd name?" asked Imogene rather intrigued.

"His name is not odd at all. It's a very common name in fact." Mo felt herself blush a bit, as she turned to look at Tom. For the first time after being sorted, they made eye contact. He simply stared at her with a blank face for a long while. It was one of the boys that finally pulled her back into the conversation.

"We both have a fair amount of interest in potions and herbology." Leonard said as he began to suck on the tip of a sugar quill.

"Astronomy is by far the most spectacular subject in my opinion." Imogene said gazing at the enchanted ceiling.

The desserts disappeared as Rosier greedily grabbed a fist full of fudge flies. The headmaster got to his feet and the hall fell silent.

"A few words now that you have all been fed and watered. These are he start-of-term notices I have for you. First, it must be announced to first-years that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils." He went on to talk about quidditch trials and other academic affairs until he arrived at his last notice. "And finally, may I remind all students that stink bombs are not welcome in any chamber, corridor or classroom. Now it's off to bed with all of you!"

The Ravenclaw first years followed a prefect of there house out of the Great Hall, and soon they found themselves climbing a tight staircase. Most of the first years were quiet alert and actively memorized the route to their common room. Finally they arrived in front of a rather strange door, lacking both a doorknob and a keyhole, but perched high on the center was a bronzed eagle shaped knocker.

Suddenly the eagle came to life and spoke. As the eagle spoke its riddle, Mo gazed at the statue of an elegant witch.

"There are four girls, and four peppermint toads left in a bag. Every girl takes a peppermint toad, yet one peppermint toad remains in the bag. How is this possible?" Once the bird finished, the perfect turned to face the group and spoke.

"A logical riddle is given by the eagle each time you wish to enter the common room. If you can not, or do not answer the question properly, you'll have to wait for another student who can answer the riddle to come by." The prefect folded his arms and smirked. "Now then, who'd like to take a guess?" Rosier stepped forward and gave an answer.

"One girl returned the toad to the bag after she took it." But the door did not budge. Rosier shrunk back into the group, as Imogene bounced up to answer.

"The fourth girl was in fact a vardøgr of the third girl." She said brightly.

The eagle twitched to life. "Creative and savvy answer, but incorrect nonetheless." It said before returning to still silence. Monisha stepped forward and smiled at the eagle before answering.

"One of the girls took the bag. That is, she took the last peppermint toad while it was in the bag."

The door swung open as she was applauded by her fellow classmates. The perfect patted her on the back before Mo rushed into the common room. It was a spacious and circular room with navy carpet and pale blue curtains (woven from a lustrous fabric,) hung from arched windows. The ceiling was domed and bewitched much like the Great Hall, but instead of the imitating the sky, the tower's ceiling (Mo firmly believed they were in a tower) went beyond and shown with twinkling stars. The room was furnished with tables, chairs and bookcases, many of the students racing to these. The perfected clapped his hands together to recapture the students attention.

"I know you are all very excited, but for know you should put the books away for another day, and get some sleep for tonight." He pointed the boys to their dormitories, and the girls to their own. Mo and Imogene along with three other girls found their beds, five four-posters hung with midnight blue, silk curtains. Their trunks had been brought up for them, and an empty owl's cage stood next to one of the beds.

"Oh they are gorgeous!" One of the girls said running over to the beds. There were four bronze and blue silk ties, along with full set uniforms for the girls. Mo walked over to the bed farthest to the left and lifted the ties, letting the smooth cool fabric slip through her fingers. She then turned to the three uniform sets on the bed, arranged perfectly. On each of the uniform set, there was a patch. Each patch was identical to the other and was the Ravenclaw crest.

"I bet these go on our robes!" Imogene said as she pulled her robes out of her trunk and laid them on her bed. She took each patch and placed it on each robe. Hurried to do the same, the other girls followed suit. Mo pulled off her own robes and arranged them on the bed with the patches placed on them. She let a quiet gasp escape her as she witnessed the patches adhere themselves to the robes, and the inner cloth of the robe turned into a deep blue. All her robes reacted the same way, as did the other girls. She pulled all her belongings, including her new uniform(which she thought was too large for her), into her trunk. She changed into her night gown and crawled into bed. After wishing Imogene and her other roommates good night, she wondered what Tom thought of the events that occurred that day, before she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

I am trying to keep as accurate as possible when writing this history. My references are _Harry Potter Wiki_ and _Pottermore_.

Please do not hesitate to point out inconsistencies, or just give back feedback.

Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**_lOl** The Search Begins **lOl_**

On the first morning of classes, Mo was up surprisingly early, not all to uncommon for Ravenclaw students, but still, the sun had barely risen. Mo hurriedly rushed to view what classes she had with each house, and was disappointed to discover Ravenclaw only had three classes with Slytherin. She returned to her dorm, and quietly slipped into her uniform. As she threw her cloak around her shoulders, Imogene stirred in her bed.

"You're hoping to see that boy aren't you?" she said in a soft voice.

"What?" Mo jumped at the sudden sound.

"Tom. You were with him up until you were sorted into different houses... Is he your fiance?"

"N-no!" she sputtered. "No, we met at Diagon Alley, he was my first wizard friend."

"Oh, alright." Imogene stood up and stretched. "Would you mind waiting for me then? I'll only be just a minute." Mo nodded and finished putting on her cloak. She brushed and braided her hair and by the time she was done, Imogene was at the door.

"Shall we go down then?" The blonde asked. Mo nodded and both of the girls made their way down to the Great Hall. "You are very capable-" Imogene said as they sat down. "-I am sure most students would have gotten lost." Mo glanced over to the Slytherin table but could not spot Tom.

"Perhaps it is still too early?" Imogene said as she placed some food on her plate.

"Yeah..." Mo said, not caring if Imogene realized her slight obsession with her friend, she had a strange feeling about the girl. As the hall began to fill with students and Mo's classmates joined her, she had yet to see Tom.

"Oi! Did anyone check our schedule for today." Rosier asked as he piled on a few sausages onto his plate.

"Three hours straight of classes-"

"Herbology,"

"History,"

"-and Transfiguration." The twins answered in between bites.

"That all?" Roiser asked while he finished loading his plate.

"After Transfiguration, we get a break for lunch. Then our last class is Defense Against the Dark Arts." As Mo finished her statement, she looked up, with a confused look.

"What is the matter Monisha?" Imogene asked while inspecting a piece of slightly burnt bacon.

"Mo?" Leonard said poking her. Ralph pulled at his twin's sleeve and tilted his head in the direction of the concern.

Suddenly hundreds of owls poured into the great hall. The first years of all tables were astonished by the sheer number of feathered creatures. The owls descended one by one to there respected owners.

"You know, the term for a group of owls is called a parliament." Imogene said before biting her bacon. Then, an owl with a silver belly and underwings descended on the group.

"Hello, Sal." Mo cooed as Sal rubbed his head on her cheek. "I'm glad to see your here safe and sound." Mo tore a piece of French toast and fed it to him.

"You've got an owl? I thought you said you were muggle born!" Roiser shouted with slight envy.

"I said I was adopted into a muggle family and-"

"It is possible she bought it whilst she was in Diagon Alley." A voice said behind Mo. She turned with a great smile to see Tom was standing beside her.

"Tom!"

"Good morning, Mo." Tom nodded. "Care to introduce me to your, _friends_?" He said as he eyed the Ravenclaw table.

"Oh, yes- erm." Mo was caught off guard as Sal flew out of her arms and onto Tom's shoulders. "Guys, this is-"

"Tom Marvolo Riddle." He extended his hand to Roiser. Mo finished introducing him to the twins and Imogene, who blushed a bit when he kissed her hand. Sal nibbled at Tom's ear before he left and Tom turned to Mo.

"If you do not have plans already, will you meet with me during lunch hour?" He asked Mo. She nodded yes without hesitation and blushed when she noticed she was a bit too eager to spend sometime with him.

"Excellent. Well, I will see you then." He turned to her friends. "It was very pleasant meeting you all, and I hope you all treat _my_ friend well." He then left to sit with his housemates, and the group watched Mo turn and nibble on the remainder of her toast in silence.

"I think she-"

"-fancies Tom." The twins said with huge grins on both their faces.

"I think we b-better head to Herbology now, we have to walk all the way to Greenhouse 1." Mo said standing abruptly while staring at her feet. She could feel her face burn a bit as she dashed to the doors of the Great Hall. The group was joined by some Hufflepuff students who would also be taking the class with them. They arrived at the greenhouse and waited outside while more students joined them.

Eventually an enthusiastic wizard appeared, and allowed them into the building. He stood in the front of the room, behind a table. On the table was a container that was covered with a white cloth, and was emitting a sort of light and crackling noise.

"Everyone settled? Very good, alright then, my name is Professor Beery, and I will be teaching you about the wonderful world of Herbology." He lifted his hand and darkened the greenhouse with a wave of his wand.

"He's a very interesting character." Imogene whispered into Mo's ear.

"And now, who can tell me what a fire seed bush is?" Several hands went into the air, most Ravenclaw one of whom Professor Beery choose.

"Yes, miss...?"

"Granger, Cantara Granger." She said excitedly. "And the Fire Seed Bush is an extremely hot, reddish, spikey plant. It produces Fire Seeds, which are used in certain potions. Futher more, it must be on _fire_ to stay alive."

"Excellent, excellent! Five points to Ravenclaw." Professor Beery said, he turned around and removed a cloth from container, bathing the students in a red light. They continued that hour taking notes and listening to Professor Beery animatedly describe the Fire seed bush and other plants the first year's would be learning about. The students began packing as Professor Beery had one last thing to say.

"And, though this may be too much of an advance notice, start thinking about an essay, possibly on the close relatives and uses of the fire seeds." He winked at the students. "It might just be due some time in the next four weeks." He bid farewell to his students and bowed continuously as they left.

"He's a sort of odd fellow, isn't he?" Rosier said just as they were far enough away from the greenhouse.

"I think he's absolutely brilliant." Granger said.

"Who asked you squib?" Cantara bit her lip, and then hurried off clutching her books to her chest.

"That was a bit much, don't you think." Ralph said as he watched Cantara hurry ahead toward the castle.

"Her father's a squib, her mother is a muggle and her older brothers haven't shown any magical talent."

"But still, she got into Hogwarts." Ralph responded, a bit more aggressively.

"Her magic is probably poor, that family is a dying name, too mixed with muggles for their own good." Rosier said not giving her a second thought.

Ralph was about to argue further, but Leonard shook his head. No one said anything further on the matter and they continued to their next lesson.

The group arrived to the class in which only Ravenclaw students could sit through awake and even then not all the members where immune to the warm spell of Professor Binns' classroom. Perhaps the only ghost teacher Hogwarts had ever had, the students had no hope of him retiring anytime soon. After taking notes and hearing stories of Hornoria Nutcombe and Ignatia Wildsmith, Mo and Imogene were one of the few who remained awake.

By the end of class, nearly all the Gryffindor's were snoring, and a few of the Ravenclaw males were too. After shaking the twins awake, and Imogene tickling Rosier's nose with her quill, they made their way toward transfiguration class.

Dumbledore was leaning against his desk, awaiting his students. Mo picked a seat right in the front, Imogene sat in the chair right beside her. Professor Dumbledore waited silently as the students filed in and found their places. Once the students were silent and returning Dumbledore's stares, the wizard spoke.

"I am sure all of you are very excited to start performing _real_ magic." Dumbledore said tapping some marbles on his desk. The marbles transformed into miniature bats, earning a few shrieks from girls and awes from several boys. The bats flew out of the classroom as Dumbledore continued to speak. "Transfiguration is the art of changing the form and appearance of an object. Do not be fooled by those students who posses a natural talent for the subject," he gazed at Mo for a moment. "-it is some of the most challenging magic you will learn and not all of you will succeed in your O.W.L.S to move into the N.E.W.T. level class."

The rest of the class consisted of taking some rather complicated notes, occasionally interrupted by Mo's questions (she seemed to be the only one who complete understood the cryptic scribbles.) As much as Mo wanted to stay after class and discuss the different branches of Transfiguration, she was far more eager to go meet up with Tom.

Mo hardly participated in the conversation among her Ravenclaw group (something about Gamp's Laws of Elemental Transfiguration,) as they walked down the flight of stair leading to the halls. She bid her friends farewell as they entered the Great Hall, and she made her way to the Entrance Hall. Mo arrived at the lonely entrance, and sat at the bottom most step. She was there but a moment, when Tom appeared.

"How has your day been?" Mo asked jumping up and following him outside.

"History and Charms are the classes I have attended so far." Tom said bored as he kept a brisk pace. They reached the edge of the Black Lake and Mo watched as Tom stopped and stared into it's depths. The silence was long, but Mo didn't mind, she simply sat down by the edge of the lake and wrapped her arms around her legs and stared into the water too.

"Mo, your a very clever girl." Tom started, still focusing on the dark water, "It's blatantly obvious you are brilliant..." Mo smiled and shyly turned her head down and began picking at the grass around her.

"As different as we are, we are also alike in many ways." He finally turned to face her, even if her eyes were focused on the ground. "I do not know about you, but I want, no, I must find out who I am." He walked over and kneeled next to her.

"What do you mean? You know who you are, you're-" Mo said turning to speak to him.

"Tom Marvolo Riddle, I know my name, but not who I am! Was it not only this past summer that we both discovered what we really are?" He grabbed her hands. "We could do things before we knew, _we can_ do things that not even pure-bloods can do." Looking to her eyes with such intensity, he continued. "I need to know who my father was, who he is. I need to know how I fit into this wonderful, extraordinary world... You are the only one I trust, to help me. Monisha Opal, will you help me?"

Somehow, Mo knew Tom did not need her answer aloud. He knew that she would say yes in wand flick. And Tom smiled and gave her an awkward, but welcomed hug.

Tom and Mo had no problem learning all hundred and forty-stair cases at Hogwarts, which ones lead where and when. In a matter of a few hours, they could maneuver about the castle with a blinding curse on them. Mo only had a small problem with the vanishing steps on several of the flights of stairs, she would always stumble, or jump on the wrong step, but otherwise, neither child had a problem. They had accepted Hogwarts as home, and Hogwarts had welcomed them.

"Sorry I am late Tom." Mo said out of breath as she dropped her book bag on the table. "Professor Craft made me help the stupid Gryffindor, Sargent, with the charm today. I mean really-" She hauled one of the years books toward her and opened in. "We were levitating feathers, not mountain trolls." She rolled her eyes before began to skim the book.

Mo and Tom had been spending their lunch breaks in the library, searching for the name Riddle somewhere within the pages of the dusty books and tattered pages. Mo was also, not so secretly, searching for her name as well. This Thursday was no different from their other searches, which were showing no results. Tom slammed a book close in frustration, earning a glare from the librarian, and a few of their fellow students.

"We have been searching for the past two weeks, and we have yet to find even a mention of the surname _Riddle..._" He massaged his temples and leaned back in the old wooden seat.

"You know Tom, we could keep searching farther back, assuming your fathered had you at an elder wizardry age..." Mo pause when an idea struck her. "Or we could assume he didn't go to Hogwarts at all."

Tom's face lit up and he turned to her. "Mo, I have not said this enough, you are a beautiful, clever, astonishing..." He stood up and started pacing. "Yes, he could have been a traveler, or a business man or even a political figure..."

"Well, we should begin with the closer schools."

"I might not even be British!" Tom said with a gleeful smile.

"Lets see, we should start with Beauxbatons Academy of Magic..." Mo said, mentally counting all the Magical schools she could recall from her readings.

Mo could hardly keep her eyes open, half chewing her eggs. It was a Saturday morning, not many students were up as early as she was. She had spent the previous night staying up, searching in borrowed books for the same thing she had been searching for almost the entire month of October. It was the 29th, and Mo was almost certain someone had bewitched time itself to move faster, or disappear altogether. Between attending classes, the homework assigned, and searching for answers, the time had just escaped her. She had stayed up so late, she had decided to come down for breakfast before spending the larger part of the morning asleep.

They had searched in the archives Hogwarts kept of many schools, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, the Durmstrang Institute, even considering schools as far as the Brazilian Wizarding School and even the newer Salem Witches' Institute. No trace of either of their families anywhere. Mo severely doubted that Tom would have found anything in his search of Mahoutokoro. As far as Mo had remembered from muggle elementary school, the Japanese were not very keen on sharing information, and she felt there may be little difference among the wizard population.

"The war…" She said under her breath remembering the muggle world.

"What war?" Mo was startled, in her thoughts she had not heard someone sit next to her and turned to see one of the twins beside her. He was brought up in the muggle world like her, maybe he knew.

"Between the Japanese and China. Did you learn much about it in school?" Mo asked him, unsure which twin it was.

"I think they might of mentioned it. Our teacher was more outspoken about Germany's actions." The boy thought for a moment as he placed food on his plate. "I remember he was outraged about Germany annexing Austria, he was Jewish and had family there." Mo nodded, she had read the rumors going about the muggle papers, but did not speak further of it.

"Good morning." A new brighter voice said. Mo turned to find Cantara Granger smiling at the pair. She did not fail to hear the enthusiasm as the twin spoke.

"Good morning Tara!" He said cheerfully.

"May I sit with you, Ralph?" She asked sweetly and Ralph was more than happy to have her join them. Mo kept quiet as they held most of the conversation. She wondered when they had become such good friends. She also wondered how Cantara- Tara, had recognized it was Ralph and not Leonard. She examined them as they spoke, careful not to let her eyes linger on either of them for too long.

Ralph was an exact replica of his brother, the same long dark brown hair, the same glowing blue eyes. It was easier to tell them apart when they were together. He had less of smugness in his demeanor, and he slouched just a tad bit more. It was odd that they should be seen apart, a rare moment when it happened.

Tara, was an average girl of average height. Her hair was just past her shoulders, a thick brown. Brown eyes, plain, face, completely ordinary in everyway.

Mo continued to listen to their babbles concerning the advantages and disadvantages of using Dragon Dung as fertilizer. Finally, Mo could not fight against the anvils that weighed against her eyes and stood up.

"Excuse me, Ralph, Tara." She said bowing her head slightly. The two acknowledge her departure, and Mo heard their conversation pick up again as she left.

She suddenly felt very tired and leaned against the door of the Great Hall unsure if she could make it back to the common room. She rested her head against the soft wood of the old door and struggled to keep her eyes opened.

"Are you alright?" Mo's eyes flew open. A boy with wavy black hair and deep brown eyes stood before her, looking at her nervously.

"I think I am. Just tired." Mo mumbled and pushed herself off the door. She stood up fine for a moment before swaying. The boy went to her and steadied her, ready to catch her if she was to fall over.

"Do you want me to help you get to the steps?" He asked timidly. Mo nodded and she felt him take her arm around his shoulders and lead her to the bottom of the staircase. The cold steps caused her legs to prickle.

"My name is James by the way." The boy said with a shy smile as he place her borrowed arm back in her lap. Mo nodded and murmured her name in returned.

"You look awfully tired, you should get back to bed." James said, looking at the deep bags under her eyes.

"Is she alright?" A cold voice said curtly.

"Yeah, she looked sick so I, uh, brought her here to sit down." Mo looked up because she knew that voice, she would have responded even in death.

"Morning." She managed to mumble. Feeling another tug on her arm and Mo felt her body lifted for her again. She tried to look at the boy and wave him a thank you and good bye.

"You look exhausted." Tom said, Mo couldn't tell if she was being scolded.

"I just spent the night reading." Even her throat felt tired, she could hardly speak.

"I would prefer, if you did not kill yourself in your efforts to assist me." Mo had not realized how fast they had arrived to the tower. Even in her half sleep state, she panicked. How would she be able to answer the riddle as she was? She heard the eagle come to life.

"What lies within seconds, minutes, seasons and centuries, but never within decades, years or days?" Mo was happy to hear the riddle was simple that morning.

"The letter n." Tom said with no delay. Mo was surprised. She knew he was intelligent, but even Ravenclaws had difficulty with the riddles. The eagle did not hesitate to open to the non-house member and Tom helped Mo inside. He spotted Imogene on the way down the stairs and looked at her with requesting eyes.

"Oh." She said softly when she spotted Tom with Mo draped about him. She came lithely down the stairs.

"She is completely drained of energy." She said as she took her friend from Tom. "You didn't hex her by chance, did you?" She did not wait for the glower Tom gave her as she turned around and carried her friend back to her bed. Once he was assured the blonde could handle the weight of the small witch, Tom turned and left the common room swiftly.

"You should not have stayed up all last night, you had all of today to search." Even in her tired state, Mo looked at her friend in surprised. "Oh yes, I know what you and Riddle have been up to." Imogene said lightly as she tucked the worn out girl into bed. Before Mo was completely over come by the blanket of sleep she heard Imogene say something else.

"If you can't find the father, look for the mother." And she was gone.

* * *

**If you have any questions concerning minor details, please review, and I will be happy to answer, unless it's a secret vital to the story line. :)**

**Yes, there will be mentioning of WWII and Hitler, cause I highly doubt Tom grew up in the muggle world during that time and did not get influenced by a certain dictator. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**,/, Brooms & Pumpkins .0.**

Mo and Tom were walking promptly toward Defense Against the Dark Arts when Imogene and Rosier joined them. Mo had noticed that Rosier was very keen to hang around her when there was a chance Tom would show up. He was clever, and cunning, Rosier was, but Mo did not like his character and would not have spent so much time with him if it was her choice.

"Are you excited for the feast tonight?" He asked Tom eagerly, hoping to make conversation.

"What feast?" Mo asked, unaware there was anything occurring. She had found a love of food at Hogwarts, and rarely missed a chance to eat.

"All Hallows Evening." Imogene said solemnly as they turned into the corridor.

"Oh, well Tom and I-"

"Are looking forward to it." Tom said with a charming smile. Mo bit her lip and wondered why he had suddenly rearranged their evening? She was finally going to suggest that they try searching for his mothers maiden name, rather than keep searching from his father's.

They slipped into the classroom on time and they took their usual seat, Tom and Mo in the front with Rosier once again unhappy to be seated by Imogene instead of Tom.

Professor Galatea Merrythought was surprisingly light on her feet for a witch her age. She always had a smile on her face, and her hair was a long heavy silver stream down her back. She was a beauty as well, and no one could quiet guess her age, though everyone knew she was old. She was young at heart, and her youthful soul showed in her appearance and demeanor. She was Head of Ravenclaw, and Mo admired her very much

"In celebration of All Hallow's Eve, we will start learning about magical creatures." Professor Merrythought tapped the chalkboard mounted on an easel and the white chalk began to sketch out a canine figure.

"Now, can anyone briefly summarize what a werewolf is?" She gazed around with her amber eyes and choose the twins, Leonard began.

"A werewolf is a human being who turns into a sort of wolf."

"Upon the complete rising of the full moon." Ralph added.

"Werewolves can be distinguished from normal wolves by some minor characteristics."

"Such as the pupils of the eyes, the snout shape, and the tufted tail."

"At all other times, they appear as normal humans." Leonard ended, and both twins flashed grand smiles.

"Excellent boys, five points for Ravenclaw." She turned to the board that now had several sketches of werewolves and bite marks. "Now, a werewolf can only infect through saliva blood contact, and only between a werewolf and human. Now tell me what is the name of the condition caused by the infection? Mr. Riddle?"

"The condition caused by a bite of a transformed wolf is called lycanthropy."

Merrythought awarded Slytherin ten points, and snapped back at the whines of the twins, suggesting they should have done further research, and not just the reading assigned. She went on to explain the treatment of a werewolf bite, and she released them exactly on time at the end of class.

"That was a load of bollocks." Rosier said as he scurried to keep up with Tom's longer stride.

"Seems pointless to teach about treatment, if there is really nothing we could do." Leonard agreed.

"It is better to know what can't be done than to merely hope for what could be done." Tom replied.

"Are you excited for flying lessons?" Rosier asked Tom. The twins however threw thumbs to there chests and answered.

"We're especially excited." They said in unison.

"Might tryout for the team next year." Leonard added.

"Oh, will you two try out for beaters?" Imogene asked hopefully. "It would seem right, twins as beaters."

"Nah." Ralph said.

"We are more of chasers." Leonard added. The Ravenclaw boys began to chatter about plays and broomsticks.

"Will you try out for qudditch team Tom?" Mo asked as they stepped out of the castle walls.

"I don't care much for sports, muggle or magic." Tom said as they joined the mix of Ravenclaw and Slytherin. "However, I find it unprofessional that they could not locate a teacher earlier. It's not a terribly vital subject, but still."

They waited for the mysterious flying teacher. The brooms were laid out already, two lines of ten facing one another. The students had finished arrainging themselves as the instructor showed up, late.

"My apologies and Good Afternoon class." She said walking swiftly in between the line of students. Her voice commanded silence and she received it. She had short golden brown hair, and her eyes were a bright amber, a yellow almost.

"You are to refer to me as Madam Hooch, I will be your instructor for our weekly lessons. Now, right hand over your brooms, and say up."

Without a moments delay the students went at it. No one got the broom up on there first try. Tom managed to summon it to his hand after a couple a tries, smiling at his achievement. The twins followed soon after, and though Imogene and Rosier's brooms twitched, Mo's didn't move at all. Madam Hooch spotted this and went to stand in front of her. Now, with a slight quiver in her voice, she tried harder, but the broom would not budge.

"Ms. Opal, take out your wand." Mo was startled and went to reach for her wand. Before she even managed to pull it out, Madam Hooch stopped her.

"You are left handed?" She asked. Mo nodded and suddenly realized all attention was on her, most students either gripping the brooms, or haven given up.

"Stand on the other side and use your wand hand." Mo nodded again and stepped over the broom. She held out her left hand over the broom and took in a deep breath.

"Up." She almost didn't catch the broom, and bit her lip at the sting of the wood hitting her palm. She looked up to Madam Hooch and saw she had an odd smile.

"If you learn at that rate, and remain as talented, I highly recommend you try out for your house team next year." She said before walking to the top of the line again.

The students learned how to mount their brooms and hover a few feet above the ground. They were instructed how to raise and lower their altitude, and change direction. Mo smiled as the class went on, because it seemed she found something she excelled at, and her abilities surpassed Tom. Though he was not horrible, she was far better than him and most of the class.

"They were all _Silver Arrows_, they they must of been ancient." Rosier complained, trying to explain why he had fallen off.

"Mo seemed to do fine on those old brooms." Ralph teased.

"Seriously, you are quite talented for never having mounted a broomstick before." Leonard turned to Mo. "Are you going to tryout for the team next year?"

"I don't know, I've never even seen quidditch or really know anything about it." Mo said, trying to rake her brains for whatever she may have read on the subject.

"Really? You're just as bad as any muggle." Rosier said rolling his eyes.

"I think it's hardly fair to blame her for her situation." Tom said turning to face the group he had been leading. "I am sure had she been raised in a proper wizardry home, she would not be so naive." He turned back around and continued to walk as they conversed.

"First match between Gryffindor and Slytherin is this weekend." Imogene stated as she bounced up the entrance to the castle.

"Let's all go." Ralph said taking one of Mo's arms.

"It should be fun." Leonard said taking the other. "Hey Tom!" He called out to the pale boy.

"We are stealing Mo for the Quidditch Match this weekend." Ralph said.

"Is that alright with you?" Leonard asked, sarcasm tainting his voice. Tom stopped his strides and again turned to them.

"Monisha can do whatever she pleases with her time, she it is for her to decide what to do with after all. However, if you'll release her, Mo and I have some business to attend to in the trophy room." He gave a semi bow and strode off in the direction of said room. Mo said a quick farewell to her friends, knowing she would see them at the feast tonight.

They made there way up to the third floor, hardly a word exchanged between them. The trophy room was a bit of a long shot, they had already exhausted all the record of the school, and it was highly unlikely they would find anything, but still it was worth the try. The room wasn't very large, but still of adequate size. Tom opened the door, the squeak did not bother him as it sent a chill up Monisha's spine.

They began to scan the crystal glass displays reading the names on the all the awards, trophies, cups, plates, shields, statues, and medals a long process and both had little hopes of spotting the name "Riddle" on any. Finally, after each have gone over every plaque twice they gave up. Seeing that their was still time before the feast, they headed toward the library to return the books they had borrowed.

Tom and Mo arrived at the library, and Mo knew by his sudden tence movements, he was not happy. Mo pulled out the texts she had check out. She decide to inquire if Tom had found out anything. Monisha let her hair fall over her shoulder as a shield between the silent uproar she was about to cause.

"Did you-"

"No." He replied sharply as he smashed the books onto the table. He sat down and pinched the bridge of his nose. Oh, he was fuming. Mo went to return the books, and as she was away from him, gathered her courage up. Returning to the table, she saw Tom was still in meditation.

"Tom?" She said in a timid voice. Without changing posture, or even glancing at her, he replied.

"_What_?"

"Well, I was wondering." She swallowed a little to clear her throat. "Why aren't we searching for your mum?"

"Because she was a muggle who died giving birth to me. No witch would be so weak to die upon childbirth and pathetic enough to leave her son in a muggle orphange."

"What was her name?" At this, Tom's eyes flew open and he tightened his jaw.

"Merope Gaunt." He spat out.

Mo stood up and went to one of the first books they had looked through at the beginning of the term and started searching. Tom sat there still arms crossed and leaned back in his chair. Mo was unsure of what was going through his mind, she wondered if he had given up. She shook her head at the notion, that was very much out of character for him, he was surely thinking of something.

After a couple of books and several scrolls Mo came across something in an old newspaper archive. She read it aloud, hoping to gain Tom's attention.

"Marvolo Gaunt is proud to announce the arrival of his second child and first daughter, Merope Gaunt, born June 30 1907."

Tom's eyes snapped open and he nearly tore the scroll from her hands. He mouth the name Marvolo. A smile slowly spread across his face as he reread the small article and watched the old picture of a proud man holding a baby girl. He rolled up the scroll and stuck it in his bag.

"Come, we'll be late for the feast and you deserve a good break." He swooped down and gave her a strong one armed hug before heading out of the library. Mo was a bit dazed, he hadn't hugged her since the first day of classes. She couldn't help the goofy grin on her lips as she picked up her things and followed him to the great hall.

Mo watched as Tom went to the Slytherin table and was greeted by his friends, the smile never left his face. Mo spotted Imogene, or at least what she thought were her friend's golden locks.

"Imogene, what are you wearing?" Rosier asked as Mo took her place beside Imogene. Her orange crown seemed to be a carved jack-o lantern, with a glowing light in its center. The carving was an intricate dragon, though it's wings were almost angelic. Imogene seemed not to realize how odd her headgear was and failed to note she was attracting strange glances from the surrounding tables.

"It's a pumpkin crown and it keeps the Devil's Moths away." Imogene said and held out her hand to Mo. She extended her arm and let Imogene drop something into it.

"Here are a pair of earrings for you, they are not as good as my crown, but better than nothing." The earrings were minuscule and had a complex design carved into them from which a tiny yellow light glowed through.

"Don't we get any protection from the moths?" Leonard said elbowing Ralph with a sly smile.

"No, they only come after women and try to steal their money." Imogene thought for a moment. "Or I think they only come after women. I know for certain try to steal anything silver."

"Well, it would make sense." Mo said replacing her dull silver earring studs with the tiny pumpkin ones. "Women tend to carry more jewelry." She tossed her old earrings into her pocket. And what harm could be done if she wore them for one night anyway?

The feast was grand, the food made especially delicious and all themed as magical creatures or objects. Mo had fun laughing and chatting with her friends, and her own pleasure was enhanced every time she saw Tom's smiling face at the Slytherin table. The smile was overwhelming on his handsome face, and she noticed some of the girls staring at him. Before she could purse her lips, the Headmaster called for their attention to the nights entertainment. The school band played a few songs, aided by the voices of a couple of the Hogwart's ghost. The night was very enjoyable, and Mo had never been more thankful that she was a witch.


End file.
